Ministry of Education songs, children's songs, and nursery rhymes. The heart of Japan passed down in song.

This road

This Road | With Lyrics | 100 Selected Japanese Songs | This is the road I once traveled

The lyricist of this song, Hakushu Kitahara, set to verse an itinerary from Hokkaido to his mother’s family home in Kumamoto Prefecture.

The scenery of Yanagawa in Kumamoto, where Kitahara grew up, was a place he revisited every time he returned home and held deep affection for.

This song, composed in his later years, overflows with nostalgia as he looks back on memories with his mother.

koinobori (carp streamers)

Koinobori (On the Rooftops...) — Suginami Children’s Choir

Speaking of koinobori (carp streamers), the phrase “higher than the roof…” comes to mind, but I suspect today’s children don’t know what ‘iraka no nami’ (waves of tiled roofs) refers to.

This song evokes a classic, nostalgic Japanese scene that’s rarely seen in cities: carp streamers fluttering in the sky while we imagine the crisp May sky, May blossoms, and tachibana (mandarin orange) flowers.

We are children of the sea.Lyrics and composition: Ministry of Education shōka (school song)

We Are Children of the Sea [With Song] Children's Song / School Song

This is a beloved masterpiece that sings of the Japanese spirit, depicting the growth of a boy living in a humble house by the sea.

It expresses, with lyrical richness, the lives of people who live in harmony with nature.

Released by the Ministry of Education in 1910, it has been cherished by Japanese people for over a century.

In 2007, it was selected for the “100 Best Japanese Songs,” and it continues to be loved by many to this day.

The lyrics evoke the scenery, scents, and sounds of the sea, vividly painting scenes in the listener’s mind.

This piece is perfect not only for school music classes but also for creating seaside memories.

How about humming it with your family on your next trip to the ocean?

Moon over the Ruined Castle

Children's song / school song: 'Moon over the Ruined Castle' by Utako

It is a celebrated masterpiece by the Japanese composer Rentaro Taki, of which Japan is proud.

On the ground, the rich and the poor fight over land, wars break out, and fortunes rise and fall.

Though the world is fleeting, the moon in the sky remains unchanged, shining upon the ruined castle and evoking the splendor of bygone days—this is what the song expresses.

Shōjōji’s Raccoon Dog Festival Music

Japanese nursery rhyme: The Raccoon-Dog Parade of Shojoji Temple

This is a song based on the legend of Shojoji.

It has a lively, rhythmic tune and sounds cheerful, but the lyrics tell a rather sad story: at Shojoji Temple, the monk and a tanuki were having a musical showdown using belly drums, and when dawn broke, they found that their bellies had burst and they had died.